Before I get into this recipe, I have some explaining to do. This has been my longest absence from Busy Girl Healthy World since I started this blog two years ago. Let me just start by saying that my Busy Girl life got infinitely busier over the last month or so. As you know, I work as a speech-language pathologist for a public school district in PA. We added a new Autistic Support program this year in my building that added to my already full caseload and I have been crazy busy at work all year. Well, if any of you work in education you know that springtime is IEP season and I’ve been swamped with evaluation reports and meetings. Each night when I get home I just don’t have the time to write posts, and the weekends have been filled with events so I haven’t had many opportunities to develop and photograph recipes. On top of all of that, I just began pursuing a second master’s degree (this time in Education) so I have been preparing for that program to begin next week.

This summer, I will be working part-time and taking three graduate courses. I’m hoping I will still have time to develop recipes, because I truly love it. Be patient with me! I am always posting on Instagram and sharing recipes from other bloggers that I’m currently making and loving and I will continue to do that on a daily basis. You just may not see as many original recipes posted here, but I will do my best!

NOW, on to the recipe. This Super Green Vegetable Frittata is everything.

Frittatas have been my go-to weekend breakfast lately. I love how I can throw them in the oven and let them bake while I do other things around the house. This recipe also makes multiple servings, and leftovers are great for heating up in the microwave for busy weekday mornings.

This Super Green Vegetable Frittata was inspired by the Spring Scramble from the Tone It Up nutrition plan. I loved how the scramble had leeks and broccoli in it—two veggies I don’t normally put in my scrambles. I decided to add a few more green veggies (zucchini, green bell pepper, and spinach) to my frittata as well as whole eggs, egg whites, and a little bit of white cheddar cheese. The frittata is filled with protein and so many nutrients from all of the green vegetables.

The frittata is delicious as is, but I also served it with a spoonful of fresh salsa and that was really fresh and enjoyable as well. It’s also great with a slice of Ezekiel toast or an English muffin. If you make this Super Green Vegetable Frittata, let me know how you like it in the comments or take a photo and tag me on Instagram!

Directions:Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray and set aside*.Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the leeks, bell pepper, and spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened (about 5 minutes). Add the spinach.
Off the heat and transfer the vegetables into the prepared pie plate. Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top of the veggies.
In a small bowl, wisk together 3 whole eggs and 4 additional egg whites (set aside yolks for another purpose). Season with the salt and pepper.
Pour the eggs into the pie plate evenly over the veggie and cheese. Use a spoon to incorporate the eggs a bit.
Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until the center is set and edges begin to brown. Cut into 6 slices and serve. Leftovers keep in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.

*You can also make this dish in an oven-safe skillet instead of using a pan + pie plate

Let me just start off by saying that I AM SO SORRY I have been MIA lately. Spring is the absolute busiest time for me at work and report writing has been sucking up a lot of my time at home. I was able to get a few recipes developed and photographed over the last few weekends and I’m finally getting some time to sit down and write one up. I’m hoping when summer comes, I will have some more free time to dedicate to my blog. However, I’m always posting on Instagram and linking to my favorite recipes, so make sure you are following along there to see what I’m cooking. NOW, on to the recipe for these delicious pancakes!

These Lemon Poppy Seed Protein Pancakes are perfect for breakfast any day of the week. I usually reserve my pancake making for the weekends because they generally take longer to make than most of my other go-to breakfasts, and also because they are usually more of a treat than a healthy meal. But honestly, these Lemon Poppy Seed Protein Pancakes are pancakes you can feel good about eating any day of the week. They also reheat well in the microwave, so you can make them over the weekend and then just heat them up during the week if you’re in need of something fast. One serving of these pancakes (3 large pancakes!) packs 11 grams of protein with just 219 calories and 4 grams of fat.

There are a lot of recipes out there for protein pancakes, and some of them have a crazy amount of ingredients or use ingredients that I don’t normally have on hand. This recipe is healthy, but not “too” healthy, where you feel like you’re not even eating pancakes (if you know what I mean), and uses ingredients that most people have in their pantry already. I’m on a lemon kick lately, so I added fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and poppy seeds to a basic pancake recipe for a boost in flavor. I served these with fresh strawberries and pure maple syrup, but they would also be great with mashed frozen berries. I love heating up and partially mashing frozen berries because they get super juicy and sweet. If you pour them over pancakes, you don’t even need syrup. I’m also really into the lemon/berry combination so there is also that.

If you try this recipe for Lemon Poppy Seed Protein Pancakes, let me know in the comments!

Directions:In a large bowl, combine flour, protein powder, salt, baking powder, poppy seeds and lemon zest. Wisk to combine. Pour in the almond milk, lemon juice, vanilla, and maple syrup and stir until just combined (be careful not to overmix-it can be a little lumpy).
Heat up a griddle or non-stick pan until hot. Spray with cooking spray, if desired. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto pan and cook until bubbles form in the center. Flip and continue cooking until the pancake is fluffy and cooked through. Continue until all batter is gone.

Overnight oats are honestly my go-to weekday morning breakfast. I prep a few glass containers with oats on Sunday night and when it’s time for breakfast, I just pull one out of the fridge. You don’t even need to heat it up! One of my favorite things about overnight oats is that they are never boring- each week I use different fruits and mix-ins to keep it interesting. Some of my favorites are my Blueberry Almond Overnight Oats, the Lemon Honey Overnight Oats from the Tone It Up Nutrition Plan, and these Peanut Butter & Berry Overnight Oats.

I love that these Peanut Butter & Berry Overnight Oats are reminiscent of PB & J. The peanut butter is mixed directly into the oat mixture, which makes them super flavorful and creamy. Pure maple syrup adds a bit of sweetness and chia seeds help to thicken it up. I topped it off with a handful of fresh strawberries and the result was seriously delicious. I think this would also be great with raspberries or a mixture of both strawberries and raspberries.

Overnight Oats are also very portable. I usually make mine in a mason jar (but they don’t photograph as well that way, hence the glass pyrex containers in these pictures), and you can just grab it out of the fridge and throw it in your bag to eat once you get to work. Sometimes I will drink a protein shake for breakfast and then bring my Overnight Oats to work to eat as a morning snack around 10AM. Whenever you choose to eat them, you’re making a great healthy food choice. The oats will keep you satisfied for hours and depending on what you use as mix-ins, can contain a variety of vitamins and other nutrients. If you try these Peanut Butter & Berry Overnight Oats, let me know what you think in the comments section!

You can also see more healthy food inspiration, products I love, and recipes I’m currently making on my Instagram page.

We are continuing to have the strangest weather over here in Southeastern PA. The end of January is usually bitter cold and snowy, but this year we are experiencing temperatures in the 50s and tons of rain. I haven’t seen the sun in three days, but thankfully that is supposed to change by tomorrow. I don’t know about you, but whenever it’s dark and damp outside I find myself craving warming, hearty meals. These Crock-Pot Maple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats are nutritious, warming, and SO easy.

It takes less than five minutes to get all of your ingredients into the Crock-Pot and then the oats cook overnight until they are nice and fluffy. The recipe is rather simple so that you can add whatever toppings you prefer. The oats are cooked in coconut or almond milk that is mixed with a little bit of pure maple syrup and ground cinnamon to naturally sweeten and pump up the flavor. I like to top mine with raisins, dried cranberries, walnuts, and a little extra maple syrup, but you can get as fancy as you like with your toppings. This recipe makes six large servings and keeps very well in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, which makes it a great recipe for meal-prepping. I have been eating it for breakfast for the past three days and it heats up very well in the microwave. If you give this recipe a try, let me know by leaving a comment!

A NOTE ABOUT OATS: Oatmeal IS naturally gluten free, which is why I list my oatmeal recipes as gluten free. However, if you are following a gluten free diet due to celiac disease or a gluten intolerance, it is important to read the labels of your oats and choose a CERTIFIED gluten free variety (I like Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Steel Cut Oats). This means that they were grown, shipped, and processed in a manner that takes special precautions to avoid cross-contamination.

Now that it’s December, I’ve been craving Gingerbread above all else. Gingerbread is not something I ever really used to eat until recently, but now as I’ve gotten older, I have come to absolutely love it. I saw a recipe on Pinterest for Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins that looked amazing, so I decided to modify them using ingredients I had on hand and to make them vegan so that my tummy would be happy. The muffins have such depth of flavor thanks to all the spices and the sweet molasses. The pumpkin keeps the muffins soft and springy and not dry. You don’t taste the pumpkin- the flavor is all gingerbread. They will make your house smell like Christmas while you are baking them. The gingerbread muffins are topped with a simple vanilla glaze, but this is completely optional and you can leave it off if you like. The recipe made 12 muffins, but I froze half so that I wasn’t tempted to eat them all right away. I love having homemade baked goods in the freezer to thaw out when you’re in a pinch. These are a fabulous treat that you can enjoy for dessert, a snack, or even breakfast.

I wanted to point out the baking technique used here to make muffins look very domed and not flat. I originally learned it from Sally’s Baking Addiction: start baking at a higher temperature and reduce the heat after 10 minutes. This makes your muffins look just like bakery muffins! Don’t skip this step!

Note: Make sure to use refined coconut oil so that your gingerbread muffins do not taste like coconut.

For the Glaze:1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons almond milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extractDirections:For the Muffins:Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a standard muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, mix all remaining muffin ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just incorporated. Do not overmix.
Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups (each should be filled almost all the way to the top) and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375 degrees and continue baking for 7 additional minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Cool in the muffin tins for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Glaze (if using):
Wisk powdered sugar, almond milk, and vanilla until completely smooth. Pour one tablespoon of glaze over each cooled muffin.
Store the muffins in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to four days. You can also freeze these gingerbread muffins after cooling.

About

I am just a girl trying to eat healthy and stay active in the busy world we all live in. Through this blog, I’m hoping to show people that leading a healthy lifestyle can be easy to achieve and easy to maintain.